The internet is a funny place. An SEO concept that "works" comes to light and those adopting online marketing strategies jump onto it like a trampoline. Some SEO strategies phase out; posting on article directories for instance. The majority of strategies will work just as well now, as they will in 5 years. Every strategy can be done correctly, but it can be done incorrectly too, so bear that in mind.
Why Focus On Content?
Content is the driving force behind the web. If your business is internet based, or even part internet based, then you should have a content strategy. Content:
- Keeps users on your site
- Sends visitors to your site
- Baits links to improve SEO
Here are some strategies to improve the profile of your content and draw more users to your website, for longer periods of time.
Ensure Content Is Varied
Written content is much more effective in terms of ranking in search engines with a lower link profile. Even within your written content strategy, there can be great variation. You could write:
- Lists (Top 15 Most Popular Social Networking Sites)
- Tutorials (7 Step Business Blogging Tutorial)
- Interviews (Interview with Sagar Kamdar, Google's Director of Product Management on Search)
- Blog posts (Outsourcing, service providers and minimum wages)
- Resources (Best SEO Blogs: Top 10 Sources to Stay Up-to-Date)
A search engine can not analyze an image to determine the content and therefore the quality. However, visual content that goes viral can get a much more impressive link profile and therefore, get your business much more exposure. You could try incorporating regular:
- Whiteboard videos (Why Every Business Should Have A Video (Speed Drawing/Whiteboard Video)
- Infographics (The SEO Value of a Google+ Profile [INFOGRAPHIC])
Don't have the resources to create impressive tutorials or whiteboard videos? No problem! Try using some of the following freelance sites and outsource:
- People Per Hour
- Elance
- Freelancer
- Odesk
Ensure Content Is Valuable
Content doesn't just need to rank in search engines; it needs to be valuable to the people that read it. If your content is truly valuable, then over time, it will get the exposure that it deserves. Spend time on one high quality piece, rather than 100 low quality pieces.So, how do you make it valuable? Simple! Give actionable advice and find out who your target audience really is. Actionable advice is the easy part. If you are writing a plumbing blog post "How to fix a boiler", and then you need to tell them exactly what tools they need and the steps required to fix that boiler (incorporating visuals if necessary).
You can use numbered lists or a step-by-step guide to make it a little easier on the eye. At no point should they need to visit another site to complete the task.
Inc.com wrote a great post about defining your target market that is worth reading. Make sure you publish content, with your target market in mind.
Ensure There Is A Plan
If you generate a content idea that you know the basics of, you'll be off to a much quicker start. Better still; the end result is likely to be a solid foundation, rather than rubble. Here are some quick and easy methods to generate an idea.
- Search popular related blogs on Google
- Log 4-5 titles that catch your eye
- How popular are they? Compare social media shares and comments to gauge which topics people care about
- Compare this with a Google AdWords Keyword Tool [exact match] search and see if the numbers line up. This tool can sometimes generate long tail keywords that will spark a new idea
- Find a unique twist to generating new content. Can you add more detail, including images for tutorials? Could to expand the topic to be more complex?
What's Next?
Rinse and repeat. Once you have a strategy that works use it regularly. Don't be afraid to adapt it if you find one aspect of the strategy working better than others. Remember that links are great, but a strategy that has the right balance between links and content will help your site grow much faster.